The Life, Death, and Soul Cards
by Tsumina
Summary: What happens when you rip a Clow Card? Sakura finds that the answer is to collect three different cards and unite them.However, Sakura fears one of them with all her heart. Will this stop her from bringing her beloved Clow Card back? COMPLETE
1. Windbreaker

Sakura Kinomoto shuffled through her Magical Clow Cards one night. She couldn't sleep at all. Kero, on the other hand, snored loudly on his bed. She had had some sort of case of insomnia or something for the past month. It was insomnia, right? She had no idea. She moved one card aside and saw Windy. Her most loyal card still looked peaceful in its card state. It was the card she had treasured the most. She held it close to her chest lovingly, then set it to the side away from the other Clow Cards.  
  
"I guess I should try to go back to sleep," she said to herself. She nestled the stack of Clow Cards into their book and clicked the lamp off, taking Windy to bed with her. She slipped it under her pillow and after an hour or so, fell into a light, restless sleep.  
  
Around three in the morning, when the sun still laid under the horizon, Sakura tossed in her sleep. She thrashed a little, and while doing that, her hand slid under her pillow, shifting Windy out from under it. Subconsciously, she gripped the card and with a little more thrashing, gripped it too hard and tore four holes in it with her nails. Three red beams of light shot from the card out her window.  
  
The sound woke Sakura up with a start. She stared at her hand, which clutched a crumpled Windy Card adorned with four holes. She caught her breath and her heart started pounding. Had she just TORN a Clow Card? And not just a Clow Card, but Windy?  
  
"Kero!" she hissed, poking the living plush toy. He moaned and rolled over, then continued to drool on his bedsheets.  
  
"KERO!" she said a little louder. He jumped at the sound of her voice and looked around. Sakura's face was pale and she looked very worried.  
  
"What is it, kid?"  
  
She outstretched the mangled Windy Card for him to see. His jaw dropped to the ground and he took it with trembling paws to have a closer look.  
  
"How did you manage this, Sakura?" he whispered.  
  
"I-I don't know! I put her under my p-pillow last night and I think I-I-"  
  
"Sakura," he interrupted, setting the card neatly on his bed, "You know how serious this is?"  
  
"Yes, I know, Kero! Is there any way to fix it?"  
  
"I'd have to ask Yue on this one. He's got the better memory. Geez, Sakura....."  
  
"I said I'm sorry, Kero!" she countered, "I didn't mean it! Look, we'll go over to Yuki's house, alright?"  
  
Kero nodded, flapped his wings, and headed out of the bedroom. Without turning around, he said he'd be waiting at the front door.  
  
Sakura was crushed by Kero's behavior. He had acted like she'd just hit the self destruction button of the world. Of course she loved Windy with all her heart, but did Kero really have to act so out of character like this? She put on a warm coat and headed downstairs. Kero was perched on the doorknob, expressionless. When he saw her come down, he sighed and flew off it. Sakura gave him a mournful look and opened the door.  
  
Yuki's house was of course, dark. Sakura went up to his door and knocked. After a minute or so, no one had come, so she tried again.  
  
"Wow, Yuki's a heavy sleeper!" Sakura exclaimed.  
  
"Sakura? What are you doing here?" a voice from the roof asked.  
  
Yue was standing on top of the roof, his majestic wings were held behind him, and a concerned look on his face. He gracefully glided down to Sakura's side. She didn't even have to explain. She just held out Windy and he understood. His eyes slightly widened with shock.  
  
"You did this, Sakura?"  
  
She nodded her head. Yue stared for a while at the torn card in his hands, then looked to the sky.  
  
"There is a way to restore Windy. But it will be difficult. How did you tear her, Sakura?"  
  
"I......I couldn't sleep last night, and whenever I know the Windy card is near, I feel a little more peaceful, so I put her under my pillow. I think I ripped her in my sleep."  
  
"And Windy.....she is your favorite of all the Clow Cards?"  
  
Another nod.  
  
"Yes, you will be able to fix her. But now you must capture three new Clow Cards. I believe these are called the Life, Death, and Soul Cards. You would capture them like you did with the others, but they are twice as tricky.  
  
"The Life Card is gentle like The Wood and Windy Cards. She has the power to bring things back to life. The Death Card is the opposite of the Life Card. She takes life away. Clow never used her. The Soul is the most dangerous. She's unpredictable and can easily manipulate people. Be very cautious if you think you feel her presence. That's all the advice I can give presently, but when you collect all these cards, bring them and Windy to me."  
  
** Tsumina: Alright, we all looooove cliffhangers, don't we?  
  
Kero: What, are you crazy? You just left us here!  
  
Tsumina: But that's where the reviewers come in. *holds up three fingers* Three reviews may motivate me to write another chapter!  
  
Kero: Just write one now! Sheesh, why can't you ever s-  
  
Tsumina: *tapes Kero's mouth shut* OKAY! So, just three reviews, people! Just three, and Windy might be repaired! Chip in!  
  
Kero: Mrrmrr!!  
  
Tsumina: I wuv you too, Kero *evil smile* Review or the plush toy gets it! 


	2. The Life Card

Disclaimer: CardCaptor Sakura doesn't belong to me.  
  
Sakura stared blankly at the test paper she held in her hand. It had a giant 100 A+. The first math test she had done well on was the one she had no spirit to rejoice over. Tomoyo noticed immediately.  
  
"What's wrong, Sakura?" she said, leaning over to her best friend's desk.  
  
Sakura never wanted to keep anything from Tomoyo, so she reached into her bag and withdrew the Windy Card. Tomoyo's mouth hung open. Her face clearly showed signs of worry.  
  
"That's terrible!" she said, resting a hand on her own cheek. She reached out to hold the card, but a booming, authoritative voice shook the room.  
  
"KINOMOTO! DAIDOUJI! NO PASSING NOTES IN CLASS!"  
  
Sakura froze, and so did her friend. The teacher stomped down the isle and snatched Windy from Sakura. Sakura held her breath as the teacher examined the Clow Card carefully.  
  
"A tarot card?!" he yelled in a rage. Sakura hid under her desk, afraid the man might strangle her or something. The teacher, whose name I easily forget, held the card up for everyone to see.  
  
"Tarot cards are instruments of the devil, children. They corrupt the mind and convince people that we can see our futures by shuffling cards and interpreting their meanings. If you use tarot cards, you are welcoming the devil into your soul."  
  
After the first few sentences, no one paid attention to what the man was saying. Syaoran tapped Sakura's back. She was afraid to see what her friend would say. But his face too conveyed concern.  
  
"What happened to Windy?" he mouthed.  
  
She could only look painfully away. Syaoran didn't press any further. He'd find out from Kero anyway. She already looked miserable as it was. But how would they get Windy back? From the teacher, that is.  
  
"Excuse me, sir! May I use the restroom, please?" Tomoyo called out. The teacher nodded and continued to lecture the class on how the devil was found in the spirit of tarot cards.  
  
A few seconds later, the fire alarm rang. Everyone screamed and rushed out the door, with the teacher right behind them. Sakura and Syaoran knew there was no fire, though.  
  
"Good ol' Tomoyo!" Sakura mused, standing up to retrieve Windy. But they heard steps heading for the classroom.  
  
"You're getting a detention, Ms. Daidouji!" a voice echoes in the hall.  
  
Thinking quickly, Sakura pulled out a Clow Card and released her summoning staff. The teacher walked in, dragging Tomoyo by the ear. He stopped when he saw a terrifying sight: a dragon the size of an elephant lay on his desk, grunting and spewing smoke out of its nostrils. Mister What's His Face released Tomoyo and ran the other way, screaming. Tomoyo stood there, speechless for a while, too scared to move, but the dragon faded and revealed the forms of Sakura and Li. Sakura held Windy in her hand.  
  
"Thanks, Sakura!" Tomoyo said gratefully.  
  
"No, thank YOU," Sakura replied.  
  
Tomoyo frowned, "For what?"  
  
"For ringing the fire alarm, of course! Without you, I probably wouldn't have-"  
  
"What are you talking about, Sakura? I never rang the alarm."  
  
Eriol strolled back into the room, his eyes shifty. He seemed surprised that three people remained in the classroom.  
  
"So, not everyone left? And I thought my mischief would trick everyone...." he sighed. Syaoran, Sakura, and Tomoyo just stared. It was Eriol? Nice, sweet, charming, behaved ERIOL?  
  
He smiled and walked out saying, "If you will excuse me, I must use the toilet. Please don't tell the teacher about me?"  
  
**  
  
Later on, Sakura and Tomoyo sat in the toy room of the Daidouji Manor.  
  
"So you slept with Windy under your pillow and managed to rip her?" Tomoyo echoed.  
  
"Uh huh," Sakura mumbled gloomily.  
  
"You'll get her back to normal."  
  
"Or I might just accidentally rip all the Clow Cards before then."  
  
Sakura looked really droopy, but her friend perked her up a little by scolding her.  
  
"Sakura! You need to have faith in yourself! So you made a mistake- you'll fix it!"  
  
She smiled back. Tomoyo always knew how to cheer her up. She reached into her bag and pulled out two cookies.  
  
"Here, Tomoyo! I made these last night. They're still soft. Chocolate chip's your favorite, right?"  
  
Of course, her cousin was willing to eat any food that Sakura made as a gift. She always cooked well and dessert was her specialty. She took the cookie and with a grateful expression, nibbled it. Delicious, as usual. She licked her lips to show Sakura the results.  
  
They were enjoying their cookies very much but a certain presence kept bugging Sakura. It seemed to be coming from Tomoyo's stack of stuffed animals. But, sometimes even these little irkings of hers were wrong and she was just imagining them. She continued to eat until a movement among the toys caused her to pause. A teddy bear emerged from the stack.  
  
"Tomoyo, call Kero," Sakura commanded. Without second thought, her friend had dialed a number on her special little phone set.  
  
"I've almost finished!" Kero exclaimed, turning Pac-Man this way and that, avoiding all the little ghosts. He clenched his teeth and was heading down the last row of white dots. Just then, the little pink phone rang. It distracted him for two seconds, long enough to allow 'Blinky' to eat him.  
  
"Drat!" he cursed before turning the phone of, "What is it?"  
  
"Kero, we've got some sort of Clow Card here. We need you over at my house," the voice on the other line said. Kero sighed, dropped the videogame controller, and flew straight out the window. A few minutes later, Toya poked his head in, saw his favorite game on the screen and sat in the middle of Sakura's room, playing Pac-man.  
  
The teddy bear just kept walking up to Sakura. It stopped in front of her, and she looked at it with a confused look on her face. Suddenly, it lunged at her and she dodged it just in time.  
  
"Firey! Release and dispel!" Sakura called, slamming the Clow Card with her summoning staff.  
  
What looked like a fire woman emerged from the card. She was very fierce looking. Even Sakura was afraid of her.  
  
Firey caused a tongue of fire to lick the little bear and right before it went up if flames, the figure of a transparent woman cloaked in white jumped from it.  
  
"It got away!" Sakura observed. A white rabbit toy stood up in the pile.  
  
"There it is!" Tomoyo exclaimed.  
  
Sakura turned to the flaming form of Fiery, "Firey! Now!"  
  
Once again, Fiery singed the toy and the true form of the Clow Card appeared. Quickly, Sakura began her chant:  
  
"Clow Card, return to your power confined!" Then she paused. What card was this, anyway?  
  
"Tomoyo, what card is this?" Tomoyo did a cute anime fall in the background and Sakura stood there, puzzled. Where was Kero when you needed him? Well, she thought to herself, Yue said there were three cards I need to catch. I'll have to try each one.  
  
"Firey!" she called again  
  
Another stuffed animal was burned and Sakura tried one of the cards' names.  
  
"Clow Card! Return to your power confined: SOUL!"  
  
Nothing happened. The transparent woman leapt into a stuffed frog. Firey did her job once again, and this time Sakura did it right.  
  
"Ah, wait! If this Clow Card is bringing things to life.......Clow Card, return to your power confined: LIFE!"  
  
A card materialized in front of her summoning staff and the woman in white disappeared. Sakura now held the Life Card.  
  
Tomoyo tapped the 'stop' button on the video cam. "I got it all!" she squealed.  
  
There was a knocking at the window and Kero's scrawny form was there, begging to be let in. Tomoyo opened the window.  
  
"I'm sorry, but you're a but late," she commented. Kero saw that Sakura already held the new card in her hand.  
  
"Hey! You made me stop playing Pac-Man and you've already captured it?!"  
  
Sakura sweatdropped and apologized. Kero seemed to easily forget when a question began burning in his mind.  
  
"How'd you know which card it was?"  
  
"Well," Sakura explained, "I guess it was common sense. Yue said there were three cards- Life, Death, and Soul. And this card was bringing toys to life, so it had to be the Life Card!"  
  
"Wow, good thinking!" Kero praised, "Alright, I think I know how to get the Death Card, but we'll have to save this for tomorrow. And get prepared, 'cause this is gonna be pretty freaky."  
  
(Tsumina: Yes, I know I said THREE reviews, but I couldn't resist! Alright, people, start reviewing, because I don't want to write this all down for no one to read, 'kay? Things are indeed going to get a little freaky in the next chapter, but you'll only see it if you FOR GOD'S SAKE REVIEW!  
  
Kero: Wow, you're desperate!  
  
Tsumina: Of course I am! I may even do the same thing for the next chapter because Sakura's gonna meet the Death Ca-  
  
Kero: You're giving it all away!  
  
Tsumina: Eep! Sorry! Okay, guys, please oh please review!) 


	3. The Death Card

(Tsumina: You people see the reviews from sign58, Tetsuya, and Stevie?! These are your new rolemodels! Now chant with me! I will read. I will review. I will read. I will review. I will read. I will review. I will automatically know that Tsumina doesn't own CCS......)  
  
Sakura woke up late, and it was pouring outside her window. Kero was playing Pak-man, but the volume was turned low so as not to wake her up. Kero heard the sheets rustle and he turned around, just in time for 'Sue' to swallow Mister Pak-Man. Game Over flashed on the screen.  
  
"Good Morning, Sakura," he said, but his face didn't express any sort of good. He actually looked very melancholy. Two bowls of cereal rested beside him. One was speckled with only a few Cherios, while the other was full of cereal and a little cup of milk was beside it.  
  
"Oh, wow, Kero! You made me breakfast? Thank you so much!" she picked him up and gave him a little kiss between his ears.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Don't mention it. But eat up quick, alright? We've got a dangerous task to do today."  
  
"Task?" she poured the milk into the bowl and picked it up.  
  
"You're gonna capture the Death Card today, right?" She nodded and he continued, "I'm pretty sure I know how to find the death card, but it'll be kinda scary and risky. The Death Card is in no ways tame. She could kill you if she only touched you. But, let me explain things some more. What you need to do is find someone in the cemetary."  
  
"Please tell me you mean a LIVING someone?" Sakura leaned closer to him.  
  
"No, they've gotta be good and dead. Alright, so find someone and use the Life Card to bring back their soul from the great beyond. The Death Card will realize what you did and she'll come running." He paused and thought for a while, "Or floating. Whatever the Dark Card does. You'll have to be pretty quick, 'cause I don't want you to be killed, Sakura."  
  
"Aw, thanks, Kero." She picked up Kero's cereal bowl and ran downstairs, happy as usual.  
  
"I seriously doubt she realizes what she's getting herself into," Kero sighed.  
  
**  
  
Tomoyo had already fashioned an outfit for Sakura. It was a waterproof white cat costume, looking nothing like her old pink one. She explained that it was appropriate because cats were considered to be animals of the underworld.  
  
Sakura, Kero, and Tomoyo walked through the graveyard, looking through the gravestones for a suitable person to bring back to life. Sakura stopped at a particular gravestone. It was beautiful and marble. Engraved on it was the name "Nadeshiko Kinomoto".  
  
"I found who I want to bring back to life," Sakura murmured.  
  
Kero looked at the gravestone with a hesitant look, "I don't know, Sakura. It's not a good idea."  
  
"Why not? If we're going to resurrect someone, why not my mom?"  
  
"Sakura, you know that after you capture the Death Card, you'll have to return the spirit to where it came from? It may be a little hard for you to let your mother go."  
  
"No it won't. I'll put her back afterwards! I just want to talk to her a little. I only remember her a little, but I still miss her a lot. Please, Kero?"  
  
"If you insist," Kero gave in, "But I'm telling you, you should find someone else. If you're going to go through with this, be extra careful, and focus."  
  
She nodded and pulled out the Life Card. She proceeded to use the chant Kero taught her.  
  
"After many bitter years of strife, Clow Card, Clow Card, give her life!"  
  
The white cloaked woman jumped from her hand and disappeared into the ground.  
  
"Alright, now use Earthy to get her out of the ground." Kero instructed.  
  
"Earthy!" Sakura called, "come out and take away all this dirt!"  
  
Another woman sprung from her hand and pushed he dirt away obediently, before becoming a card again. A dirt clodded coffin lay there. Sakura rushed to it and tried to open it, with no luck. With a little help from the Lock Card, she undid all the little odds and ends that sealed the coffin. With a final sigh, Sakura put her hands on the lid of the coffin and lifted it. A skeleton lay there, wrapped in a beautiful light blue dress.  
  
Though this was her mother, Sakura was naturally scared. She jumped away from the coffin and clung to Tomoyo, who stopped recording to soothe her friend.  
  
"K-Kero, why is she still.....?"  
  
"It takes time, kid. Getting a soul back from the under world isn't exactly pleasant or easy. I think something's happening now."  
  
The Life Card shot out from the ground, carrying a transparent figure of the beautiful woman whose picture remained in the kitchen of the Kinomoto house. The spirit was set in its owner's body. Life turned into a card again and appeared in Sakura's hand.  
  
Sakura wasn't sure she wanted to go any closer. She and Tomoyo hid their eyes. A little movement from the coffin shocked them into looking up. Nadeshiko stood up; her delicate white skin was back. Her dark hair looked neat and beautiful. She looked straight at Sakura, and Sakura could see that this was her really mother.  
  
"My little Sakura....." The woman whispered, opening her arms. Sakura rushed into them, crying with pure joy that made Kero smile.  
  
"Mama!" Sakura sobbed into her mother's dress. Nadeshiko smiled and rested a hand on Sakura's back, finally able to embrace her daughter after all these long years.  
  
"Mama, I've missed you! Me, and Toya, and Daddy, we've all missed you!"  
  
"I've missed you too, Sakura. But I've been watching you this entire time. Ever since I left this world, I've watched you."  
  
"Yes," Sakura sniffled, "I know. I've always known."  
  
"I want you to know how proud I am of you. You've taken everything very well, even though these responsibilities are not for a ten year old girl like you to have. I'm sorry you've had to suffer so much."  
  
"It's not your fault, Mama. I'm just so happy to see you again!"  
  
"And I'm happy too."  
  
Tomoyo had stopped filming again. She knew this just wasn't the time. She stared on, hugging Kero, not sure what to do. But, Nadeshiko didn't forget about her.  
  
"Little Tomoyo, come," she beckoned, out stretching one of her arms. Tomoyo walked slowly up to her and Nadeshiko embraced her too.  
  
"Thank you for watching over Sakura. I'm glad she has someone she can trust with anything. Please continue to stay with her. I don't know where she'd be without you."  
  
Tomoyo was about to reply, but she stopped when a strange feeling irked at her heart. She turned around and saw a woman looking similar to the Life Card, only covered in an ebony coat. Her eyes were narrow but intimidating.  
  
"D-Death....."Sakura breathed.  
  
It began to advance. Sakura stepped forward, holding her summoning staff at the ready. (At this point, Tomoyo presses the record button)  
  
"Tomoyo, Mom, stand behind me! I'll take care of it!"  
  
With every step the Death Card took, the grass beneath her wilted. Everything seemed to turn dead and gray when she touched them.  
  
"Don't let her make contact with you, Sakura!" Kero coached, "This is a very dangerous card! Keep your guard up!"  
  
"I'm not running away from you, Death." Sakura said, her voice a little shaky. She stood where she was and looked the card straight in the eye. It came closer and closer, steadily.  
  
"Sakura, are you crazy?!" Kero yelled, "Move it!"  
  
"SHIELD!" the little cardcaptor flung the Shield Card in front of her and slammed it with her staff. A pink barrier shot out to protect her, and she once again locked eyes with Death. It didn't stop. Slowly-ever so slowly- it walked towards her. It didn't hesitate to approach the barrier. It felt no pain when it walked straight through it.  
  
"Aaaaah!" Sakura screamed in shock. She jumped back and the shield faded.  
  
"Sakura, it's already in its visible form! You can capture it!" Kero shouted.  
  
But Sakura couldn't bring herself to it. The very aura of this card scared her to death. She felt like she had been thrown into a dim, gray world with a man eating tiger. All alone. She clutched her staff, tears if pure fright streaming down her cheeks.  
  
"Come on, Sakura!" Tomoyo encouraged, but her words never made it into Sakura's heart. Her friend was backing away from the card, but was withdrawing another helper from her allies.  
  
"What are you doing?!" Kero yelled, "Capture her, Sakura! You don't need to fight her! Just capture her!"  
  
"SONG!" Sakura summoned. The Song Card stood beside Sakura and sang a beautiful melody. It was as happy and joyous as the spring.  
  
Kero was utterly confused. "Sakura! Why are you summoning the Song Card?!"  
  
I'm summoning it, Sakura thought to herself, because I can't fight with this feeling eating me from the inside. I need something to cheer me up. This gloomy feeling, it's making me so faint!  
  
The Song Card continued to sing, one beautiful note after another, one of the most beautiful things Sakura had ever heard.  
  
Even through the darkest hour  
  
Always know you have the power  
  
To bring about a brand new day  
  
And laugh all of your troubles a way  
  
Siiiiiiing loud, when you're feeling sad!  
  
Siiiiiiing proud, though your day was bad!  
  
Seek a new start in tomorrow  
  
Leave behind all your sorrow  
  
Sing a new day into the sky  
  
Sing a new way though you don't know why  
  
'Cause a clear new morning is a new life.......  
  
Sakura felt much more strengthened and she no longer cried. She tried to seal the card.  
  
"Clow Card, return to your power confined! DEATH!" A card materialized at the head of the staff, and a forceful wind slammed at her from all sides. She could no longer hear the Song Card, and the melancholy feeling was back. It weakened her again and her grip on the summoning staff loosened. She felt she was going to let go, but two soft hands held onto the staff with hers. Nadeshiko was helping her seal Death.  
  
The winds died down, and the Death Card floated into her hands. Nadeshiko lightly gripped Sakura's shoulder.  
  
"Mama," Sakura said, turning around, "Thank you. Thank you so much."  
  
Her mother smiled warmly at her. "I am always watching over you, Sakura. Now, I think I should return to where I belong."  
  
"But you belong with Dad, Toya, and me!"  
  
Nadeshiko kneeled down to Sakura's level. The little girl's cheeks had tears streaming down them again.  
  
"I'll see you all someday. I promise."  
  
"Alright, now you need to use the Death Card, Sakura," Kero said solemnly, "We need to send her back."  
  
Sakura's heart raced. "The Death Card?! I can't use the Death Card on her! I never want to see this card again! No, Kero, I won't use it on Mom!"  
  
"You HAVE to," Kero urged, "It's the only way!"  
  
Nadeshiko looked at Kero. "No, there is another way.."  
  
"There is?" Sakura asked.  
  
A set of beautiful feathery wings emerged from Nadeshiko's back. Just like her, they were beautiful and perfect.  
  
Sakura's watery eyes widened. "You're an angel!"  
  
"Yes," her mother replied, "I shall have to leave now, Sakura."  
  
And Sakura understood then that her mother no longer belonged on earth, but truly belonged with the other angels in the great beyond. She smiled in response and threw her arms around her mother one more time.  
  
"I'll miss you," she whispered, stiffling a sob.  
  
The ghostly form of Nadeshiko rose into the air, the beating of her wings blowing a soft breeze on their faces. Her body was left behind, still delicate and beautiful, while her spirit disappeared into the night sky with a soft smile that clearly said "I love you." The same smile was spread across Sakura's face. She noticed the Song Card had turned back into its card form and lay at her feet.  
  
"Two down," she sighed, "One more to go."  
  
"And you'll get that one too!" Tomoyo piped up.  
  
Sakura grinned at Kero. There were no more signs of sadness on her face.  
  
"We'll get it, won't we, Kero?"  
  
"You can tackle anything, Sakura," he said, perching on her shoulder, "Anything at all."  
  
And together, they walked through the rain which was beginning to stop.  
  
(Tsumina: Too...much.....emotional content!  
  
Kero: Gosh, woman.  
  
Tsumina: I've never written something like that before! It feels really weird!  
  
Sakura: But did I really have to cry that much?  
  
Tomoyo: But you did it wonderfully!  
  
Sakura: Er....thanks, Tomoyo.  
  
Tsumina: Alright, people. I'm about to have a breakdown here, so at least make it worth it and review!) 


	4. The Soul Card

(Tsumina: Thanks so much for your reviews, people! I'm really really happy and now I'm going to write about the last card, the Soul Card! Once again, CardCaptor Sakura doesn't belong to me. In fact, it belongs to the wonderful group that is called CLAMP)  
  
Sakura finished the last question on her test and handed it to the teacher, who fidgeted nervously. His eyes were shifty and he seemed to be on the look out for something.  
  
"D-D-Dragon? No, of course n-not. There's no more d-d-d-d......."  
  
"Dragons?" Rika offered an answer.  
  
"Dragons. No more. None. Nope, none are existing, heh heh heh....."  
  
Rika gave Sakura a weird look but giggled shortly afterwards. The little cardcaptor smiled hesitantly back and glanced at Tomoyo. She was now holding the teacher's hand in her own and patting it comfortingly.  
  
"How could you make him see a dragon?" mumbled Syaoran, "Why couldn't it have been something reasonable?"  
  
"I told you a thousand times, Syaoran, that I couldn't think of anything else! That was the first thing that popped in my mind!"  
  
"But a dragon?"  
  
"Look, it doesn't matter, alright? No one would believe him anyway."  
  
"You're too carefree, Sakura. You have to be careful."  
  
"SYAORAN, JUST LEAVE ME ALONE, ALRIGHT?! I CAN DO THIS BY MYSELF AND I DON'T NEED YOU TO NAG ME ABOUT EVERY LITTLE THING!"  
  
The class had stopped talking, the teacher stopped babbling, and Syaoran just stood there. It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. The teacher finally broke the silence.  
  
"Kinomoto......." He growled, then the little snarl turned into a roar.  
  
"KINOMOTO, I'VE HAD ENOUGH! YOU AND SYAORAN MAY STAND OUTSIDE!"  
  
So Sakura and Syaoran stood outside. Syaoran with an expressionless stare, and Sakura blushing her cheeks off. She was so embarrassed! Not only had she attracted the attention the attention of the entire classroom, she had completely lost her temper with Syaoran. She wanted to apologize, but whenever she opened her mouth to say something, not a sound would come out.  
  
So, she stood there and twiddled her thumbs. Then she began to hum. Then she looked around the hall. To her left, a few girls were walking out of the restrooms together. In front of her, two birds were constructing a nest outside the window. To her right, Syaoran was staring at her intensely.  
  
"Ai!" Sakura gasped in surprise. She jumped back a little, lost her balance, and fell over on her hindquarters.  
  
Silently, Syaoran walked over to her and held out a hand. She took it and he helped her up, then took his position once more against the wall. Another long silence ensued. Sakura finally cleared her throat.  
  
"I'm sorry, Syaoran. I shouldn't have yelled at you."  
  
A neutral grunt was the only thing she heard. Had she hurt him that badly? She looked down at her feet and sighed. It was the longest ten minutes she'd ever experienced. When the teacher let them back inside, Sakura did all she could to avoid the curious faces that followed her to her seat. She didn't even spare Tomoyo a glance.  
  
"Alright class," the teacher drawled, "Please open up to your homework on page sixteen and we'll begin.........."  
  
The end of the day came at last. Sakura slipped her feet into her rollerblades while looking out for Toya. Tomoyo walked up behind her.  
  
"Sakura?"  
  
"AAHH! Oh, Tomoyo, it's just you! I thought it was--"  
  
"Syaoran?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"What has he said to you, Sakura? (at this point, you can picture a chibi Tomoyo with an evil look on her face and flames blazing behind her) I will do everything in my power to make sure that justice is served!"  
  
"No, no. It's nothing like that. He didn't do anything."  
  
Before Tomoyo could ask another question, Toya rode up on his bike. Sakura quickly waved farewell to her best friend and took off at full speed down the road. Tomoyo couldn't help but wonder why Sakura was avoiding her questions.  
  
"Well," she sighed, " I suppose she's hiding something from herself. It's so like a heroine to deny something like that! Perhaps I should make a drama film starring her!" And so Tomoyo's little fantasies whirred around in her head as she rode her limousine home. The vehicle came to a stop and ten minutes later, Tomoyo realized they still hadn't moved an inch.  
  
"Natasha," Tomoyo said, poking the limousine driver on the shoulder, "Why aren't we moving?"  
  
"Some sort of accident. We might have to wait for a while."  
  
"Oh, how terrible!" Tomoyo replied, but forgot after two seconds. "Natasha, can we listen to the radio?"  
  
Click. There was a man talking on the radio.  
  
"-nd for top news today, it seems there has been an accident near Tomoeda. A ten year old girl named Sakura Kinomoto was involved in a serious car accident. It appears that she was rollerblading and not watching the road in front of her when she was crossing the street, and a car slammed into her head on-"  
  
"SAKURA!" Tomoyo shrieked. She ran out of the limousine and slammed the door behind her. Natasha pursued her little mistress.  
  
The police kept onlookers a good distance away, and wouldn't let Tomoyo through. But she managed to see Sakura lying on her back with a bad cut across her cheek and another on her forehead. Toya was cradling her head in his arms while talking to one of the doctors who felt her pulse. Moved with intense fear for her friend, Tomoyo squeezed through the police's baracade.  
  
"Sakura!" she screamed, grasping one of Sakura's hands. Sakura didn't move.  
  
"Toya! Toya, is she okay?!"  
  
"I don't know, Tomoyo, she's.......I just don't know!" he replied, not taking his eyes away from Sakura. The people from the ambulance rushed over with a stretcher and carefully placed Sakura on it. Toya followed them into the back of the vehicle.  
  
"Toya, please let me come!"  
  
"Yeah, sure. Get in."  
  
Hurriedly, she leaped into the back beside Sakura's stretcher (Natasha followed). One of the men from the emergency care unit checked Sakura.  
  
"She's breathing alright. Bleeding freely. Shattered her leg. Okay, we need to hook her up to an IV- stat! Hey, Arnie!" he looked at the driver, "We gotta go!"  
  
But the driver, a trainee actually, had passed out from the sight of Sakura's blood traveling down her face. He lay sprawled across the front seat.  
  
"Not again!" murmured the driver. He shouted for help but didn't have to wait long before Natasha jumped into the seat (on top of the passed out driver) and put the pedal to the metal. The screeching of the tires was heard through the whole city, yet everyone got there safe and sound, though everyone thought Toya would faint too.  
  
**  
  
Sakura opened her eyes drowsily. She tried to sit up, but her sprained wrist shot pain all the way up her arm.  
  
"Don't move, Sakura!" Tomoyo said, rushing to the bedside.  
  
"T....Tomoyo? What happened?" she noticed she was in a hospital room. A clear tube ran from her hand to a bag full of fluid hung from a metal pole. Several syringes sat unused by her bed.  
  
"You had a little accident," her friend replied, "But you're fine now."  
  
Toya stirred in his chair, then woke up. Seeing Sakura awake too, he jumped out immediately and stood beside Tomoyo.  
  
"What did you think you were doing, squirt?!"  
  
Sakura stared at him then slowly to remember the accident. There was a white car coming towards her, and the guy in the driver's seat was downing liquor.  
  
"I........." she began, but Toya hugged her tight, like a concerned brother would. The door opened, and in stepped Yukito with a tray of four miso soups.  
  
"Oh, she's awake!" he observed. He set the tray down and kneeled beside the bed.  
  
"You alright?"  
  
"Yeah, I think so.........."  
  
"I came over as soon as I heard. I also brought some food, just in case."  
  
"Oh thank you, Yuki."  
  
Yuki stood up and continued to prepare the food. Sakura and Tomoyo chatted a while, and Toya phoned Fujitaka.  
  
"Yeah, I'm gonna spend the night here with her," Toya spoke into the phone, "I know, I know, Dad, its just that.....I was! But she.........no, I didn't, but........okay. Bye." He gently hung the phone on the receiver and sighed.  
  
"I'll go get a cot from the nurse's station," he said, "I'll be spending the night. You guys can stick around if you want."  
  
"Of course I will!" Tomoyo said, running after Toya, "I'm gonna go help you. I'm not physically very strong, but I'll do what I can." They walked out the door, leaving Yuki and Sakura alone.  
  
"Yue?"  
  
A flurry of large feathers wrapped around Yuki and in a second, Yue had appeared. His eyes were definitely showing worry.  
  
"Mistress Sakura, are you alright?" he stood over the bed, towering far over her.  
  
"I am......." she said softly, "How have you been?"  
  
He smiled back and handed her a bowl of miso soup, which she took happily and spooned into her mouth. As she did, she remembered why she was racing down the streets in the first place and the smile she had on her face faded.  
  
"What's wrong, Mistress Sakura?"  
  
"Please, call me Sakura. I'm your friend, not owner."  
  
"Very well. Sakura."  
  
"It's just that......lately I've been feeling bad. Not from these injuries. It's from before the accident. I was being mean to Syaoran Li and now I think he's angry with me. I didn't mean to snap at him like that, and I must have hurt him really badly because he hasn't talked to me at all.  
  
"And I saw my mother. Yue, she was just as I remember her from when I was little. I didn't listen to Kero when I chose to revive her. And now I miss her more than ever.  
  
"And how could I have been so stupid? I RIPPED a clow card. Not even the biggest klutz could have done that. I just realized it, but when I faced the Death Card, I felt insecure because I didn't have Windy. I was really scared, and I feel like I've lost my best friend."  
  
Something stung inside, but it was followed by a soothing feeling. Sakura shook her head to shake off the sleepiness overcoming her.  
  
"You're filled with so much worry, doubt, and pain right now. You should rest and try not to think about it. But, if you are in need of counsel, I can only tell you to do what comes naturally to you. But, a while a go, Sakura, you mentioned the Death Card? You've already captured it?"  
  
Sakura nodded and reached over for her little pink bag which laid slightly blood stained on the bedside. Out of it she pulled out the clow cards. She shuffled through them, looking at each one meaningfully, then looking at another and another. Finally, she found one that she quickly looked away from and thrust into Yue's soft, pale hands.  
  
"Sakura, even Clow was terrified by this card. I'm surprised you weren't in enough shock to stay at home for a week. You are very strong, Sakura. Very strong."  
  
"And I captured Life too." She held out the next card a little more carefully.  
  
"You have been very fast in obtaining the cards. You really miss Windy that much?"  
  
"Uh huh."  
  
He smiled and held her hand, telling her in gentle words: "You are indeed a worthy mistress of the cards."  
  
"Thank you, Yue......." her voice drifted off and her head fell on the pillow. Yue stood up and looked at her fondly for a while. She and Clow both had good hearts. He sat at the foot of the bed and remained there, gazing at the stars outside.  
  
**  
  
"Whatdya mean by that?!" Toya replied to the old, unattractive nurse behind the counter.  
  
"Ah mean whu I mean, Mistah Kinoh-moh-toh. I dunno where thuh cots are."  
  
"Ma'am, perhaps you could look for them?" Tomoyo offered, but was ignored.  
  
"Ah suggist you kids go on home. Ah'm too tired ter deal with you right now."  
  
"We're not going that easily." Toya growled  
  
**  
  
Presently, Sakura had sat up in her bed and Yue turned to look at her, locks of his hair flopping onto his back. Sakura's eyes were blank and lacked emotion, and her hand grasped her necklace to withdraw the Key of Clow.  
  
"Sakura, what are you doing?" he asked in a hushed voice.  
  
"Oh Key of Clow, power of magic, power of light......."  
  
Yue stood up. "Sakura, what is it? Why are you-?"  
  
"Surrender the wand, the force ignite! RELEASE!"  
  
The summoning staff stretched out on her calm, relaxed hand and she reached into her backpack to retrieve the Clow Cards. She pulled one seemingly randomly from among them.  
  
"SWORD!"  
  
The summoning staff became a slender, rose colored sword. Yue backed up a step.  
  
"Mistress Sakura? What's wrong? What's the matter? Is there a clow card near by?"  
  
"Clow......" she whispered very softly, "Where is he?"  
  
"Mistress Sakura, he is dead. You know that."  
  
"Nothing can kill Daddy. Where is he, Yue?" she replied firmly  
  
"Daddy?" Yue mumbled, "But.........no one........except........."  
  
He only talked in syllables, but he wasn't dumbfounded. In fact, he knew exactly what had just happened, though this was his first time to actually witness it.  
  
"Soul, why are you doing this to Sakura?" He paused when he realized he had called her 'Sakura' instead of 'Mistress Sakura'.  
  
"Yue, you are lying to me!" yelled the Soul Card, "Tell me now: Where is Daddy?"  
  
The Moon guardian smiled slyly, a little proud that he had found the last clow card. He had known Soul as a personal friend, and she was always a little babyish. She was the only card that had a special name for Clow, which was 'daddy'. Though childish in nature, she was skilled at taking charge of any soul she wished.  
  
"Clow died a long time ago, Soul."  
  
Her eyes watered and she wiped them with a curled fist. A look of determination was covering her face.  
  
"Who killed him?"  
  
"He died. He wasn't killed."  
  
"Tell me the truth, Yue!" she demanded, "Daddy can't just die! WHO KILLED HIM?"  
  
"I've already told you the truth."  
  
"Very well, Yue."  
  
Gracefully, she swept the sword through the air in front of her in the shape of an arc, then whipped it back down to her side. It could easily be read as a threat.  
  
"I'm giving you one last chance."  
  
He stared at her pityingly. This only angered her more. She was tired of being treated like a child! She lunged forward and tried to slice Yue in half, and he barely avoided her. His large wings made it hard for him to move around freely.  
  
The door squeaked open and Toya and Tomoyo walked in, loaded with pillows and blankets. They set them down, only to behold Sakura pointing a sword at Yue. Everything paused for a few seconds.  
  
"Where is daddy?" she asked them.  
  
"Daddy....?" Tomoyo and Toya echoed confusedly.  
  
"Clow. She speaks of Clow." Yue said.  
  
The two just continued to stare, making the Soul Card just as agitated. In one swift movement, she sliced through the middle of the hospital bed, allowing it to drop to the floor with a tremendous thud.  
  
(Downstairs, a grumpy old man who had broken his hip frowned at the ceiling. "Dern it all!" he yelled, pressing the button on his bed that summoned his nurse.)  
  
"Sakura?" Tomoyo scolded, "What's the matter with you?"  
  
"I will ask the questions." She pointed the sword at Tomoyo's throat, and all the poor little girl could do was stare wide eyed at her best friend who was threatening her life. She had no idea what she could say or do.  
  
"Where........is........he........." Soul asked once more.  
  
"I don't know, Sakura!" Tomoyo replied. Yue gave her a strange look. There was a mysterious aura coming from her that he'd never sensed before.  
  
"Then you are of no use to me." Soul raised the sword, prepared to strike, and Tomoyo closed her eyes to receive the blow without resistance. The aura was becoming stronger and stronger. But two of the clow cards that the possessed Sakura still held fell side by side on the ground, and from them jumped Power and Fight in their original feminine forms.  
  
Power caught the blade before it hit. Soul glared at Power as if she were a traitor. The pink little girl glared back with the same expression, never letting the blade go.  
  
"Let go, Power!"  
  
Power shook her head stubbornly, bouncing her little pigtails here and there. (At this time, Yue hid his wings to allow himself more room). She continued to stare Soul down until Soul's face finally softened and lowered the sword.  
  
"I'm sorry, Power." She apologized, hanging her head. A forgiving smile spread across Power's face and she let go. This sudden trust kept her from seeing through Soul's trick. The sword was raised again and came down halfway before it fell to the ground and Sakura's body was propelled backward. Fight had struck with a force hard enough to knock her down, but gentle enough to leave her unharmed.  
  
Tomoyo watched all of it in shock, and when she saw Sakura slammed into the opposite wall, she reached out and cried her name. Yue, however, stood up and for the first time, addressed her.  
  
"Lady Tomoyo, they are protecting you! Quickly- take up the summoning staff!"  
  
The Clow Cards, which were scattered all over the ground now, hovered over to Tomoyo and settled in her hand in a neat, perfect stack. The staff still lay at her feet.  
  
"But Yue, I'm not magic! I can't use the staff or the cards!"  
  
"Don't worry about that now! Don't you understand? The cards are protecting you! They realize what has happened to Mistress Sakura. They realize that what she's doing is wrong! They want to help you, Lady Tomoyo!"  
  
Hesitantly, she gripped the pink summoning staff. It glowed and turned from its original rosy color to a light yellow. Staring for a moment, Tomoyo was now confused about which card would defeat Soul and not Sakura. Oh, if only Soul knew the truth about Clow Reed! Tomoyo thought. But how can I convince her?  
  
**  
  
Syaoran stood outside Sakura's hospital room with two snow white lilies clenched nervously in his shaking hand. He couldn't understand why he was so nervous. "Come on, kid," Kero urged from Syaoran's shoulder. Something suddenly slammed to the ground inside (This is when the Fight Card punched Sakura).  
  
"Did that clumsy idiot fall out of her bed or something?" he wondered. And without remembering to knock, he opened the heavy door.  
  
**  
  
Tomoyo spun around and saw Syaoran holding flowers and he saw her holding the summoning staff. Yue was standing behind her without his wings, and Toya was backed up against the wall, confused and baffled.  
  
"Wow," Kero managed to say.  
  
Syaoran noticed Sakura's crumpled figure against the wall. "Sakura!" he cried out.  
  
She opened her eyes and stared at him. She might as well have been staring a hole right through him. There was so much hatred in those green eyes.  
  
"Is it a Clow Card?" he asked Kero.  
  
"Yeah. Soul, I'll bet." The little plush toy responded.  
  
Tomoyo was still holding the staff and shutting her eyes tightly. She was scared. It wasn't the sort of fright that came when she worried about herself. She was scared for her friend, and what might happen. Soul averted her glare from Syaoran to her.  
  
"How?" Tomoyo said pityingly, "How can I make you understand?"  
  
Sakura's body picked itself off the ground. "Clow," it demanded.  
  
"Clow.........," the name echoed from Tomoyo's mouth. Her intelligent dark eyes suddenly sparkled with hopefulness and joy. She shuffled through the deck and found Life.  
  
Yue couldn't help but smile. Tomoyo may not be very magical, he mused, but there is indeed a lot of strength and wisdom in her. The little raven haired girl thrust the card in front of her and recited Sakura's incantation, with a small twist.  
  
"After many years of strife, Clow Card, Clow Card, give Clow life!"  
  
A blinding flash filled the room and everyone stood stalk still. The air became warm and serene, and in the middle of the room appeared the tall figure of Clow Reed.  
  
"Daddy!" Soul exclaimed, jumping into his arms to embrace him tightly.  
  
"Soul," he said lovingly, hugging her back.  
  
"I knew you weren't dead!" she announced.  
  
His face softened with a little disappointment. He wished he didn't have to break her little heart, but what had to be done just had to be done.  
  
"Little Soul," he said gently, "I'm afraid you thought wrong."  
  
She stared at him, shocked. What was he talking about?  
  
"But you're right here!" she said. She indeed was very much like a child.  
  
"I have been gone from this place for many, many years," he explained, "And I'm sorry I never said goodbye. But these people are right. I did die."  
  
"But you're here!"  
  
"Because of your sister, Life. It was because she and little Tomoyo brought me back. I won't be here long, though. Therefore, this time, I shall say goodbye to you."  
  
"But I'll see you again, right?"  
  
He nodded, and stroked her cheek as a loving father would. A tiny tear streamed down her cheek. But she understood, just as Sakura did, that the dead belonged with all the other souls of the dead.  
  
Soul's true form emerged as a ghost like figure from Sakura. She wore a long, flowing gown and she looked as young as Power, who smiled tenderly when she saw her sibling finally submit. With the thought that Soul was normal again, she and Fight turned themselves into cards and floated into Tomoyo's hands.  
  
Soul closed her eyes and turned herself into a card as well, and instead of settling herself in Tomoyo's hands, nestled herself into Sakura's subconsciously curled hand. The little cardcaptor woke to find Clow standing there, showing his happiness with a grin.  
  
"Clow! Clow, please tell m-"  
  
"I'm afraid things may be difficult for you, Sakura," he said, "But I'm CERTAIN you'll be alright." Then, he disappeared. Without the help of the Death Card, and without wings, he disappeared.  
  
Sakura stood there for a moment, but suddenly complained, "But that's what you said last time!"  
  
Kero chuckled. "That's Clow for ya, Sakura."  
  
"Well," Sakura sighed, looking at Soul, "You got her, Tomoyo."  
  
Tomoyo laughed with relief and stood by her friend. Syaoran stood at Sakura's side too.  
  
"Sakura, I..........." he began, but he was interrupted when Sakura began to topple forward. He quickly reached out to catch her.  
  
"Sakura, what the matter?"  
  
Yue aided Syaoran in bringing her back to her bed. With a loving look, Syaoran tucked her in.  
  
"It's a little much for her right now, Syaoran Li. She lost a lot of blood from the accident. But she'll be alright. What I'm wondering, however, is how Sakura could have been so reckless. Though she may not be too bright, she'd have more sense that to get herself into something like this."  
  
Syaoran stared at his shoes. "I think it's my fault. I didn't accept her apology and I think I hurt her feelings. She must have been so upset that she didn't look where she was going. But that's why I came." He nestled the lilies carefully into a nearby flower vase. "I wanted to tell her I was sorry. And even when she went through this, I wasn't much help. I feel like such a jerk."  
  
"Things like this happen a lot," Kero said comfortingly, "And you did the right thing, coming over here, kid."  
  
**  
  
Everyone had spent the night in that hospital room. The old nurse finally relinquished a few cots, due to a little talk with Natasha. Around midnight, Syaoran sat up in his bed. He didn't feel the least bit sleepy. He sat beside the window to look up at the night sky. Instead of stars, heavy clouds filled his vision. Sakura tossed in her bed, groaned, whimpered, and tossed again. Syaoran stood next to her bed and gripped her hand.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Sakura. I'm so so sorry."  
  
Sakura seemed to calm down. She gave his hand a small squeeze and hugged it. Not wanting to wake her, Syaoran sat in a chair next to the bed. He rested his head on his other arm, (which rested on the bed). There, he fell asleep, contented. Outside, the clouds cleared off and gave way to sparkling glints in the sky.  
  
(Tsumina: I'm so tired! Okay, there will be a last chapter about how they put Windy back together. That is.......if Yue can remember how, right?  
  
Yue: I'll remember. Don't take me for such a dolt.  
  
Tsumina: Why don't you tell the audience now?  
  
Yue: It's simple. I.........er........I.........  
  
Tsumina: *screeching* You forgot?! How can you forget?! Go! Just go read your script! *shoves Yue out the window*  
  
Yue: Aaaahhh!!!!  
  
Kero: I know how to.  
  
Tsumina: Then why did you have to bring Sakura to Yue to ask?  
  
Kero: .............I dunno.  
  
Tsumina: Grrr...........*cools down* Okay, guys. Please review! Please keep in mind how long this must have taken me, and PLEASE review!  
  
Kero: But you already said that.  
  
Tsumina: *throws him out the window*) 


	5. A Hard Decision

(Tsumina: I finally decided to finish this story! Huzzah! Huzzah! Er, I hope everyone was still on their toes for an update! You didn't FORGET, did you?! All that hard work and you forget!? Anyway, the story is mine, but CCS isn't. Saaaah…………………..)

Sakura was soon out of the hospital and when that day came, Toya, Yuki, Tomoyo, and Syaoran (and of course lil' Kero too!) all helped her into Mister Kinomoto's car. Settled in the front seat, she reached for the seat belt, wincing as she moved her sprained wrist. Syaoran rushed over to her.

"Here, I'll do it," he offered.

Sakura struggled slightly, "No, I can do it. Thanks."

"Are you sure?" His hands still pawed at the seatbelt.

"Yeah, positive. I can do it."

"Really, I can help!" Syaoran took hold of the seatbelt, and at the same time, due to her little leg brace, Sakura lost her balance and fell out of the car on top of Syaoran. Toya was there in a second.

"Look what you did, twirp!"

Syaoran opened his eyes. Sakura was stretched out over his legs and staring wide eyed into his face. For about fifteen seconds or so, they stared, until Sakura penetrated the silence with an innocent giggle. The giggle grew to a twitter, then to a whole hearted laugh. Syaoran, not exactly sure what was so funny, grinned and joined her.

"Hey, kid," Toya seethed, "Get off her already."

"Chill, Toya!" Sakura piped, getting to her feet unsteadily. "He was trying to put my seatbelt on!"

Not saying another word, he crawled into the back of the car sulkily. After Sakura was properly seated and buckled in, they were all driven to the Kinomoto residence, and while Fujitaka and Toya went downstairs to prepare some sandwiches, Syaoran, Yuki, Tomoyo and Kero sat beside Sakura's bed.

"Thanks a lot for your help," Sakura said. Everyone smiled sweetly and nodded, and after a while, Sakura remembered the cards.

"Yuki, may I speak with Yue?"

Submissively, Yuki closed his eyes and soon, Yue's angelic figure graced the room with his presence.

"Yes, Mistress Sakura?"

"SAKURA," she responded a little crossly.

Yue rolled his eyes and waited for what his Mistress had to say.

"Um, can we repair Windy now?" She reached into her pink bag that sat on her bedside again, then brought Life, Death, and Soul out and looked back up at the guardian hopefully. Yue's expression did not change.

"You must tell all three of the cards you transformed to become Windy. They must become one with each other on their own accord."

"So," Sakura said, "All I have to do is ask them?"

"Yes."

"Even Death?"

"Even her."

Sakura gulped. I don't want to see her, she thought to herself, but I want to see Windy again. What if I freeze? What if she hurts someone instead of listening to me? I don't know why I'm so scared, if I can use Life to restore them.

"Sakura?" Kero pressed. The card captor shakily looked at the Death Card. It looked so terrifying, so bitter, so ugly……………………………….

"I can't," she said, throwing the three cards onto the bed, "I don't want to see the Death Card again."

"But what about Windy?" Tomoyo asked, "You can't let her down, Sakura."

"I won't. I'll bring her back……………………………….......some other way."

Everyone looked at each other in dismay.

Syaoran reached for Sakura's hand, "We KNOW you can do it." Sakura recoiled and pulled the blanket around her, a scared sort of stubbornness shielding the kind, happy face they'd all learned to love. Syaoran withdrew his hand.

"You need a day to recover?" Kero asked, "We understand if you do. After all, you've been through one traumatizing experience after another, and you're only a kid. We'd understand if you need time."

Sakura did not respond. She kept a blank stare on the three cards scattered across her bed. A silence ensued, until, it was broken by, out of all people, Yue.

"Yukito is very concerned," he said, "He wants to comfort you. Do you want him to be here?"

She still said nothing.

"Mistress--" he said, then stopped himself. A little more gently, he said, "_Sakura?_" He walked closer to the bed. She closed her eyes tight. The Moon Guardian sat on the bed beside her, not saying a thing.

Still, nothing.

__

Mistress?

Sakura lifted her head in slight surprise.

__

Who said that? She wondered nervously.

__

Me. Yue. 

She glanced up at him, but his expression was not changed.

__

Yue, how are you doing this?

Clow willed it, I suppose. _He has always helped you out when you needed him, and right now I think he has chosen me to help you._

He's never helped me.

Ah, but the Cards did.

The Cards aren't Clow.

You would correct one of Clow's former guardians on a matter like this? Sakura, he poured his very SOUL into these cards. Each is like an incarnation of him. Whenever you called on your Cards to help you, they always came through. When they helped, it was because of Clow's kindness. Windy is also an incarnation of Clow. After all the times she's helped you, how can you deny her a true form? 

I…………want to help her.

Then do it.

I can't. I don't ever want to LOOK at the Death Card, let alone TALK to it.

You'll be fine. YOU'RE her master now. She will not harm you. Cards only seem wild when they are loose.

Sakura bit her lip.

__

I can't………………………………

Sakura, we're all here for you.

But *I* might not be there for *you*. I could mess up, and someone could get hurt.

We're all magical beings here. We'll all be fine. MISTRESS Sakura, I know you are capable. I understand your fright, so I won't force you. Instead, I shall cease pressing you like this. I feel that if I probe any farther, only bitterness will come from it.

………………………………......................Yue……………………………….............................

Yes, Mistress?

Sakura's eyes filled with hot tears that raced down her cheeks. She threw her arms around Yue's thin waist and buried her face into his clothes. Slightly shocked, Yue froze for a few seconds and watched her cry into his shirt. In a gesture of sympathy, he rested a long, pale hand on her trembling back. Tomoyo took a step forward, but Kero held a paw out in front of her, shaking his head. After a long time, Sakura's grip on Yue's clothes lessened, and she permitted him to leave. He transformed back to Yuki and after wishing Sakura a speedy recovery, he walked out of the bedroom with the others. They would let her have her rest today. Sakura saw them out the door, then hid under her covers, drifting into a very uneasy sleep. The same uneasy sleep that had haunted her since she captured Soul at the hospital.

Sakura walked through a place where there was no ground to walk on. She was in nothingness. Alone. She gripped her summoning staff close. She was wearing a costume Tomoyo had made. It was like a whole outfit made from pink chain mail. Soft clinking noises accompanied her every step. Suddenly, there were voices. Sorrowful voices, dying voices. She looked up and saw Syaoran, Tomoyo, Keroberos, Yue, Toya, Yuki, and Fujitaka. They were looking very sad. They were fading.

"If only…………………………." Syaoran sighed, giving Sakura a sheepish smile.

"If only what?" Sakura asked.

"If only……………………….." Toya said.

"If only the Death Card never was," Tomoyo whispered. "If only……………………"

They were barely visible. Sakura chased them, trying to grab them and protect them from disappearing. They only vanished faster. All Sakura could do was stare after them.

"No……………….."she breathed in despair, as she looked down at herself to find that she was a drawing on a Clow Card. The ribbon at her feet read "The Death".

***

The next day, Sakura's friends came to her room, to find the bed empty. After questioning Fujitaka, they found that she wasn't in the house. 

"Where could she have gone to?" Syaoran asked nervously.

"I'll search the city," Yue said, flapping his beautiful, feathery wings and disappearing. He came back an hour later.

"She's at the park. There's something wrong. There's a very strange aura coming from her."

They arrived at the abandoned park. Sakura sat near the park fountain, her eyes hidden beneath her hair. She did not respond when Kero called to her. Tomoyo again tried to approach her friend. When she was near enough, she tried to place her hand on Sakura's shoulder. But, pink star energy radiated dully from her like dying embers. Miss Daidouji stepped back in shock.

"Sakura!" she said, shocked.

"Go away. All of you," Sakura mumbled, "I won't bring Death out. I'll find another way to revive Windy."

"There isn't another way," Kero corrected her, "Sakura, as we said before, we'll give you more time if you need it, but you can't get better when you're getting out of bed like this. Come on. Climb on my back and I'll take you home." He padded up to her and lowered his wings, giving her enough room to climb on. She only turned away.

"Kero, didn't you hear me?"

"Sakura, I'm serious too. Get on my back," he said a little forcefully.

The pink star energy flared slightly, and it looked almost as if Sakura was engulfed in a small flame. Kero winced but didn't back away.

"Sakura, cut it out!"

It grew bigger and wilder, and still Sakura wouldn't face them.

"Kero, is this the work of another card?" Tomoyo asked, her hands worriedly covering her cheeks.

Kero paused, closed his eyes, and searched the air for the certain presence he could feel when there was a Clow Card around. His eyes opened slowly when he'd reached a decision.

"No, this is all Sakura's doing. When a magical being is scared, Tomoyo, the magic within him or her will do anything to protect that person. This is what Sakura's magic looks like. That's her star energy protecting her."

"Please," Sakura begged, "Please don't come any closer! I don't want to hurt anyone!"

"Sakura, stop using your magic like that!" Syaoran said, "You don't need to be protected from anything because WE'RE supposed to protect YOU! We would never hurt you!"

"I can't stop," Sakura whispered. She buried her face into her hands and stifled a sob. The star energy expanded until it surrounded her entirely. Sakura placed her hands in her lap and clenched her fists.

"I can't stop, so leave me alone!" the energy shot out much further, and Tomoyo and Syaoran were pushed back by its force. Yue and Kero held their ground, but the significant magic forced Kero into his small form. Only Yue was left.

__

Sakura!

Leave me alone, Yue! I order you!

Sakura, you must stop this!

No!

The angelic guardian stepped into the glowing pink energy and was reeled into an intense world of pain, but he held firmly.

__

Mistress…………………………..

GO AWAY!

Sakura blindly threw her little pink bag at Yue, missing him by inches. Unable to bear the pain any longer, Yue gave out and fell to his knees, then crawled out of the energy field.

Tomoyo had picked up Sakura's slightly tattered bag. Inside were all her Clow Cards. No key.

"Kero, what should I do?" She asked almost frantically.

The great lion-like guardian had no idea and looked at her helplessly. Tomoyo began to cry. She held the cards tightly to her chest and let her tears fall. Yue reverted to Yukito from sheer exhaustion and lay sprawled on the ground.

As Tomoyo was crying, the Cards glowed blindingly and then, at the top of the deck appeared the Illusion Card.

"They want to help me again," Tomoyo whispered to herself, "But I can't bring them out of their card form."

"Yeah, you can," Kero replied, "You can muster your magic just like Sakura and Syaoran can. You just need to filter the energy through another object! Sakura uses her staff and Syaoran his sword. Do you have anything with you that you can store energy in?"

Tomoyo timidly showed her video camera, and Kero and Syaoran couldn't help but sweat drop. 

"You're gonna use your camcorder?" Syaoran asked.

"It's all I have," she replied, "Will it work, Kero?"

"Er……………………………..I……………………..guess………………………………....."

"Okay, I'll try!" She held the card and the video camera. "Okay, what do I do with Illusion?"

Syaoran and Kero were lost for words. They didn't know. Tomoyo thought hard, until she found a solution.

"I'll use the Through Card and the Illusion Card to make an image of Windy! And I'll combine it with the Through Card so it can get past the energy field! Illusion, take the form of Windy and make sure Sakura sees you, even for a moment. Through! Protect Illusion from Sakura's star energy!" She tapped the cards with her……………uh, camcorder.

[A/N: For those of you who didn't know, Sakura captured a Card called the Through Card that allows her to pass through anything]

Inside the glowing mass, Sakura was curled in a ball, her knees pressed against her chest. She felt a disruption in her energy field and looked up. There was Windy, floating in front of her, a sorrowful look veiling her face.

Sakura, please bring me back………………………….

Windy, I want to but I can't!

You're too scared?

Yes.

Too much even to save me?

Windy………………………

I don't want to be split into three parts! I'm scared too!

Illusion and Through returned to Tomoyo's hand. They couldn't penetrate the energy barrier. They couldn't defy their master's magic.

"I don't know what else I can do," Tomoyo said in despair. Syaoran placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

__

What can I do?

Sakura, Bring me back. I have faith that you can do it. So do your friends. I want to be able to serve under your name again. We all believe you can do it………………………..

But what about Death? All humans fear death, and now I have to look at it while it has a form. I don't want to die. I don't want my friends to die.

Death will come to everything. But you can't go through life fearing it. The Card you fear is Death personified. Will you face it like the Cardcaptor I know you are?

Windy's eyes turned cold. _Or will you give up and prove yourself unworthy of 52 powerful friends? The choice is yours, Sakura…………………………_

Kero narrowed his eyes to check if he was seeing properly. Yes, the magic was lessening. The star energy was fading. Life, Death, and Soul flew from Tomoyo's hands and disappeared into the blinding pink energy.

Sakura: The Life, Death, and Soul Cards!

Life: You willed us to be here, Mistress.

Sakura: Life, will you combine with Death and Soul to become Windy again?

Life: As you wish.

Sakura: Soul? Will you combine with Life and Death to become Windy again?

Soul: I will do so gladly.

Sakura: ………….and………………Death?

Death: ………………………………........I will comply.

Sakura looked deep within her heart to find the incantation.

__

Sakura: Life, Death, and Soul, become as one……………………Separation be undone!

With a light POP, the energy field disappeared. Sakura stood there, her eyes fixed on one card she held in her hand.

"S-Sakura?" Syaoran called. She looked up, startled. Kero, Tomoyo, and Syaoran returned the gaze. Remembering her beloved card, she held it up to confirm the situation.

"WIndy!" Tomoyo gasped in delight. She ran to Sakura and embraced her. "I knew you could do it! What made you change your mind?"

"Windy talked to me."

"She did?" Tomoyo wondered at this. The Cards she had sent in never made it through the barrier. Well, she decided not to ask. A gentle voice broke the silence. 

"Where am I?" They turned to see Yuki getting to his feet.

***

"Hey Sakura, d'ya mind turning your lamp off? I'm trying to get to sleep!"

"I'll be done in a second, Kero."

"Hey, what are you doing, anyway?"

"Hn? Oh, I'm putting all the Clow Cards in plastic cases. Just in case, you know?"

"Eh heh heh heh………………..well, do what you want, Sakura. G'night."

"Good night, Kero. Sweet dreams."

THE END

(Tsumina: *pants* Oh my gosh, I'm exhausted! I FINALLY finished! Yes! Yes! Yes!

Kero: Well, apparently you enjoyed writing about us.

Tsumina: Oh, I'm sorry, Kero!

Kero: Yeah, whatever.

Tsumina: I hoped everyone liked the story!

Sakura: I didn't! It was so scary!

Tsumina: Well, is that a 'no' to my idea of making a sequel where you accidently rip ALL the Cards?

Sakura: O.O 

Tsumina: Kidding. KIDDING.

Sakura: -_-'

Yue: You made me so weak. I could have done things myself.

Tsumina: Well, sorry, Yue. This IS my fanfic, after all. Be glad this wasn't a Mary Sue about you falling in love with me.

Yue: *looks at her in horror* You wouldn't!

Tsumina: Nah, I wouldn't. Alright, guys! Review please! I hoped you enjoyed it!)


End file.
